Summons and Arrest Orders Issued for 15 Individuals Involved in the Attack on Ali Motahari

The Deputy Security Minister of the Islamic Republic announced that 15 individuals involved in the attack on Ali Motahari have been identified, and the Shiraz Prosecutor's Office has issued "initial judicial orders for their summons and arrest." According to the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA), Hossein Zolfaqari stated on Thursday, March 18, that no one has been arrested in connection with this incident so far. Mr. Zolfaqari mentioned that the Revolutionary Guards, the Intelligence Department, and the Law Enforcement Force of Fars Province "have each announced a list" of the identified individuals. On Tuesday, March 16, Mr. Zolfaqari also announced that based on "various documents including photos and videos," the identities of more than ten attackers on Ali Motahari in Shiraz have been identified. Ali Motahari, a representative from Tehran in the parliament, was attacked by plainclothes forces at the airport in Shiraz on March 9 while traveling to give a speech at Shiraz University, and he was ultimately forced to return to Tehran. Following the attack on Mr. Motahari, Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, instructed the Ministers of Intelligence and Interior to follow up on the incident in a letter. After Mr. Rouhani's order, a committee was formed in the Ministry of Interior, headed by Hossein Zolfaqari, and this committee traveled to Shiraz on Monday and Tuesday, March 23 and 24. Mohammad Baqer Nobakht, the government spokesman, also stated on Wednesday that "the reports prepared by the Ministry of Interior in this regard will be provided to us on a case-by-case basis." The formation of a committee in the Ministry of Interior to investigate the attack on Mr. Motahari comes at a time when some media outlets and political figures in Iran have criticized the Ministry of Interior, particularly the Fars Governorate, for failing to prevent the attack on Mr. Motahari and for canceling his speech. The newspaper Jomhouri Eslami, which had previously criticized the Ministry of Interior's performance, wrote in its editorial on Thursday that "the weakness of some ministries, especially the Ministry of Interior and Governorates, has created an environment for excesses by extremist elements." The editorial emphasized that "such a situation could overshadow the parliamentary elections scheduled for March 2016 and leave extremists free to do anything to seize the tenth parliament and promote lawlessness." Meanwhile, some political figures have previously linked the attack on Mr. Motahari to the upcoming parliamentary elections. For instance, Majid Ansari, the parliamentary deputy to the President of Iran, wrote in the editorial of Iran newspaper on Wednesday, March 10, that "it should be noted that next year is the year of parliamentary elections. Those who do not have enough social acceptance believe that by muddying the atmosphere, making society more security-oriented, and creating turmoil in the political arena, they can eliminate their rivals and win the election in an uncontested environment." The Guardian Council of Iran has set March 7, 2016, as the date for the upcoming parliamentary and Assembly of Experts elections. The case of the attack on Ali Motahari is "classified," and Mr. Motahari's lawyer reported on Wednesday, March 27, that the Tehran Prosecutor has referred this case to Branch 6 of the Revolutionary Court in Shiraz to "address the public aspect of the crime and the crime of actions against national security." According to the Khabar Online news agency, Mostafa Torkhamdani stated: "The case of the attack on Ali Motahari not only has social and private crime dimensions but has also taken on security dimensions, and due to actions against the security of the country, we requested that this crime also be addressed." He added: "Currently, regarding whether the attackers have any affiliation or connection to an institution or organization, I cannot comment due to the classified and security nature of the case, and the contents of this case are confidential." On Tuesday, March 19, Ali Motahari commented on his attackers, saying: "Apparently, there was an accepted principle; these individuals, who were equipped with heavy motorcycles and pepper spray, indicated where they received their orders from." "Heavy motorcycles" are typically used by military and Basij forces in Iran. Meanwhile, Mehdi Taeb, the head of the Ammar Headquarters Council, also commented on the attackers of Mr. Motahari on Tuesday, March 26, stating: "A bunch of disobedient Hezbollahis. One does not really know what to do with them? Why are you doing these things? If we are followers of the Leader, the Leader said not to do these things." Mr. Motahari, on Saturday, March 23, also identified the Friday prayer leader of Shiraz as the primary instigator of the attack on him after the latter's comments during Friday prayers. Asadollah Imani, the Friday prayer leader of Shiraz, implicitly attributed Ali Motahari to "Tawaghit" and "Fitna," stating that "if someone breaks the sanctity of the Guardianship and the Experts and Fitna, they should expect that others will not break their sanctity?"